Synopsis: Sometimes who we really are lies buried just beneath the surface...

After learning she's inherited a house in the beach side town of Soul Harbor, George, Addison Harmon and her best friend decided to take a much needed vacation before the pressures of life after high school suffocate them too heavily.

But what Addison finds isn't a chance to recoup from a bad break up and hang out with her best friend while she decides what she wants to do with her future. What she finds is Kace Sullivan - a sexy guy she can't seem to get enough of - someone who with one touch reveals a seductive world full of magick and secrets Addison isn't sure she's ready to be a part of.

I received a copy of Catalyst for review from Laura at Little Read Riding Hood and her Author Services, but Braine from Talk Supe put me in contact with her which is fabulous.

For me Catalyst was an easy read, fairly fast paced and it held my attention really well, which I certainly consider a pro lately as its Summer and I seem to spend a lot of my time not reading.

The story follows Addison who inherits a house in a small beach town from her birth mother, who she never met. As a Summer trip, and way to escape what she wants to do next with her life Addison decides to stay in the house for a while with her best friend.

During their time here Addison starts to uncover some small truths about her family, mostly that she is from a family of witches and whilst she's a little sceptical at first she does end up trying her hand at magic. Their magic is based off the elements, hers being fire and this means that the person who's element is air (Kace) is pretty much her soul mate, they ignite each other. Just like earth and water do too - we meet this people too and they're pretty intense with their relationship.

Even though Addison clearly wants to know more about her birth family, she doesn't get to find out much which means we don't too and whilst this could be seen as a fault if you're a little impatient, it didn't bother me because the book on a whole didn't feel like it was set over a large time span and spent much more time developing the relationship between Addison and her "new family" of witches.

Besides from Addison we also briefly meet her best friend, but due to some hoodoo magick she has to leave. Urgently. I would have liked her to stay around as her and Addison are very different people but maybe we see more of her in the sequel?

Then there is Theo who we only see about three times in the book and honestly I think he was my favourite character haha. He was mysterious and I wanted to know more! I know we're supposed to think of him as the "bad guy" of the story but honestly the way he treated her at the beginning in the cafe seemed more intrigued than anything, and then with what happened at the end of the book I have a feeling he might become a little bit of a heart throb in the sequel which should introduce some tension between the magick and hoodoo families. Oh yeah did I mention Theo practices in hoodoo! I can't wait to hear more about this as well.

Okay and now onto Kace. He and Addison hit it of pretty much straight away, they have a spark between them, physically. As in they actually kind of bring alive the magick in one another and it sounds great what they have. Overall he is pretty sweet towards Addison, and she clearly likes him, but I felt he was a little too forward, probably because he grew up with knowledge of magick whereas Addison didn't so at times I felt he wasn't being as helpful as he could have been but I imagine there is a heck of a lot to learn and she didn't want to embrace it all in one day.

He is also where Addison finds out most of her answers to her family, but as stated we don't actually find out much, I have a few questions left unanswered from her mothers prologue because to me it hints that there could be some giant fault or mistrust with the families, I'm not sure why, this is just the vibes I'm getting. I'm excited to see if I'm right or not.

Overall I enjoyed the story a lot, it had me hooked, and even if I felt it had some downsides it certainly got its nails dug into me and that is where they shall stay because I am now dying to read the sequel. Soon! I really need to know what happens and I have a feeling it'll be an even better book!

Thursday, 29 August 2013

Synopsis:Skye Whitcomb is running from her troubles, and where better to run than Europe? Fresh out of college, she makes quick plans with her best friend Paige and hops on a plane.Of course, nothing ever goes as planned—at least not for her. First, Paige has to bail, and Skye’s left to travel alone. Then she meets sweet and sexy Asher Benedict in Paris, and sparks fly after a night together on the train to Rome. He’s all kinds of perfect for her, but the timing couldn't be worse since she was running from the altar when she left—so the last thing she wants right now is a relationship. But Skye’s about to discover that no matter how far you run, love can find you anywhere.

I received an early copy of Anywhere for review from J Meyers herself.

Yep.

I, Lauren, who specifically has stated on their review policy that I do not do romance books, who hates romance books and pretty much always passes them up, emailed J Meyers and requested a copy of her latest book - a contemporary romance.

Makes complete sense huh?

In my defence I enjoyed all her other books so much I couldn't resist the chance to read more of her work and to see how it would come across in a different genre and well I didn't expect to be sat here two days later writing up a five star review heh (sorry Jen)!

The last book I sped through this quickly was Warm Bodies which is, well, my usual cup of tea.

Anywhere is the completely adorable story of Skye as she runs away from her real life duties to do something she has only dreamed off - very thoroughly across many journals - travel Europe, with her best friend Paige.

But of course, no quickly planned journey goes without a few a bumps. The first being an actual soon-to-be-bump across Paige's belly, causing Paige to abandon ship and leaving Skye in France to travel alone.

Honestly, I could not do something like that. I get scared taking the bus to town in case I miss my stop or get lost. But Skye is clearly not me and that's a good thing.

Whilst choosing where to go next she meets Asher, the two travel together to Rome and on the way they strike up a lovely friendship. Yes guys, a friendship! We don't have an insta-love issue going down here, I think that's why I loved it so much because their friendship grows constantly over the story and you get to witness as their feelings intensify.

Side note: The time the two spent in Rome made me so nostalgic for my time there with my boyfriend and I just loved experiencing it all again with Skye.

I mean sure they both feel something romantic towards each other early on but they push it away and don't really confront until they're absolutely sure its the right choice and they're ready.

It filled me with gushy lovey feelings which made it impossible to put the book down, my sleep schedule was messed up thanks to this!

I also really liked how there was an issue for both of them that made it difficult to commit straight away because (well it helped get rid of the dreaded insta-love but also) it added to the story so there was a lot more going on, rather than just *insert preconceived thoughts about bad romances and lack of a story line that you may have*.

Seeing as though I didn't really know what I was getting into with this genre I think that made it even more enjoyable because I had no idea what to expect, and well if I can sit here and honestly say that Anywhere has been one of my favourite reads of 2013.

Jen, I really look forward to what else you have in store for us, especially if its a contemporary romance.

Well, I guess I like romances now?

Yikes, I'm actually considering that I liked this more than the Intangible series o_O Help! What has she done to me? Where's Lauren gone?

Synopsis: Everyone remembers the day the sky went black. They remember the screams as the blackness ate those who were out in the open, those who surrounded themselves by light, and those who made noise. Everyone remembers the voice from the sky, the way food disappeared.

Everyone remembers the day the sky went black, and the sun was wiped from the sky. At least that’s what I hope. I hope that there is an ‘everyone’ that will remember. I hope that I am not alone. Because I remember. I remember, because it was the day I became alone. It was the day the house went silent, and the birds stopped singing. It was the day when everyone disappeared, everyone except the boy, the only person I have seen in two years. The boy I talk to through the glass.

Don't feel like waiting to get your hands on Through Glass but want to check out some of Rebecca's other books, Kiss of Fire (Imdalind #1) is now availabe in eBook format for free at Amazon (US), Barnes & Noble and for the Kobo too.

Author Bio:

Rebecca Ethington

Rebecca Ethington has been telling stories since she was small. First, with writing crude scripts, and then on stage with years of theatrical performances. The Imdalind Series is her first stint into the world of literary writing.

Rebecca is a mother of two, and a wife to her best friend of 14 years. She was born and raised in the mountains of Salt Lake City, and hasn't found the desire to leave yet. Her days are spent writing, running and enjoying life with her amazing family

Don't have a blog? No sweat. Anyone and everyone is welcome to join. To join, simply leave your name in the Linky and a link to one of your social network sites.

Did you recently take part in Bout of Books readathon? Got a few books you need to review now, well luckily the girls at The Book Monsters have created the perfect thing for us, and heck its certainly something I need because I have a few from before hand too. Ooops.

The list looks daunting huh? But luckily I'm part way through a lot of them and they just need checking over and neatening up, plus I completed one during the readathon so that's already up. Yipee!

Earlier Review Books:Catalyst by Jennifer Snyder
Endure by Laura Diamond
A Unique Rabbit by Red Tash
The Mysterious Howling by Maryrose Wood
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
The Restaurant at the End of the Universe by Douglas Adams
A Clash of Kings by George R. R. Martin
World War Z by Max Brooks
Marked by P.C. Cast
xkcd: volume o by Randall Munroe
Dealing With It by Christina Channelle
Boarded Windows by Isaac Marion
Before the Moon Rises by Catherine Bybee
Hot Ticket and Wicked Beat by Olivia Cunning

Synopsis: This latest instalment in New York Times best-selling R.A. Salvatore's beloved fantasy saga, The Companions moves Salvatore's signature Drizzt into a new era of the Forgotten Realms. As Drizzt's fate hangs in the balance, he reflects on the lives of the trusted allies who stood by his side throughout his early life - the friends now known as the Companions of the Hall. Meanwhile, the first stirring of the Sundering begin.

Review:

Did Not Finish3 / 5 stars

I was lucky enough to receive a copy of The Companions from NetGalley, along with the follow up book The Sundering, this is no way effects my opinion of the books.

You're probably wondering why I've rated something and put it as did not finish. Its a little odd to do, but I should probably explain why I'm placing it as dnf first.This is the first book I've picked up of The Drizzts series, but of course it is also the first book in a smaller series called The Sundering which is why I was okay to start it. Unfortunately I actually have no background knowledge of the Drizzt series what-so-ever. None. Zilch.

Whilst the book didn't seem to be referring too much to past events that needed further explanation, but it does have names of people and places that - to me - feel like they mean something important. Granted they may not but I feel a like I've kind of been thrown in at the deep end as I have no prior knowledge.

So that explains the dnf, now the rating.

About half of what I read I did thoroughly enjoy, most of them happened to be Catti-brie's chapters, I found they were well written and really held my attention a lot better than the rest. I think that has to do with her magical abilities and how it allowed more to instantly happen, even at the young age.

The overall storyline - of what I understand from the skimming I've done - held a lot of potential too, its about three hero's being reborn to stop/accomplish something later on in their new lives but they retain their memory and knowledge. It has so much potential to be frakking awesome.

Unfortunately because of the previous reasons stated I didn't think it wise to carry on, instead what I intend to do is return to the series at a later date but instead start with the very first book of the Drizzt series and make my way through all 24 books. I also feel like its one of those books I'd be able to take in a lot easier if I were to read a physical copy rather than an ebook.

Sunday, 25 August 2013

The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, August 19th and runs through Sunday, August 25th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure, and the only reading competition is between you and your usual number of books read in a week. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 8.0 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team.

Lauren's Wrap up:So this is it. The end of the week! Oh my, did it go super quick for anyone else? Unfortunately I didn't spend as much time reading as I had hoped too, the thought that I'm moving out in under a month has left me kind of all over the place and I keep sleeping pretty badly too, worrying that I'm going to get lost in a new city. But whilst I didn't read LOADS, I did however do something I wanted too and that was to finish off some of the books I was part way through reading, seeing as though I was reading about 9 at the start of the read-a-thon.

Please note: Its not actually midnight in the UK yet but I wanted to get this up and posted before I climbed into bed to read, this means that when I wake up tomorrow I'll update this and our original update post with any more that we have read.

Friday, 23 August 2013

Synopsis: A New Adult Dark Contemporary Romance, not suitable for people sensitive to grief, slavery, and non-consensual sex. A story about finding love in the strangest of places, a will of iron that grows from necessity, and forgiveness that may not be enough.

–

“My life was complete. Happy, content, everything neat and perfect.

Then it all changed.

I was sold.”

Tess Snow has everything she ever wanted: one more semester before a career in property development, a loving boyfriend, and a future dazzling bright with possibility.

For their two year anniversary, Brax surprises Tess with a romantic trip to Mexico. Sandy beaches, delicious cocktails, and soul-connecting sex set the mood for a wonderful holiday. With a full heart, and looking forward to a passion filled week, Tess is on top of the world.

But lusty paradise is shattered.

Kidnapped. Drugged. Stolen. Tess is forced into a world full of darkness and terror.

Captive and alone with no savior, no lover, no faith, no future, Tess evolves from terrified girl to fierce fighter. But no matter her strength, it can’t save her from the horror of being sold.

Can Brax find Tess before she’s broken and ruined, or will Tess’s new owner change her life forever?

If anyone asked what I was most afraid of, what terrified me, stole my breath, and made my life flicker before my eyes, I would say three little words.

How could my perfect life plummet so far into hell?

How could my love for Brax twist so far into unfixable?

The black musty hood over my wrists with hungry stringed teeth, ready to bleed me dry in this new existence.

Noise.

The cargo door of the airplane opened and footsteps thudded toward us. My senses were dulled, muted by the black hood; my mind ran amok with terror-filled images. Would I be raped? Mutilated? Would I ever see Brax again?

Writer, reader, sometimes wife.
An avid devourer of sexy romance and angsty New Adult.
Nothing beats lolling in a bubble bath with her array of book boyfriends.
Her two titles: Tears of Tess and Broken Chance are coming soon.

Wednesday, 21 August 2013

Embracing the Wolf by Catherine Bybee and Demon Slave by Kiersten Fay are the sequels to two free ebooks I picked up simply because they were free, I ended up enjoying them so much that I'm now pining for the second books!

Embracing the Wolf: Werewolves come in two different categories, good and evil. Although Richard Ritter's family has encouraged him to make the change for years, he never considered embracing his wolf until he meets Kate Davis. One night with her however, and his life changes forever.

After a horrifying evening of violence, Kate Davis's life is turned upside down. Richard offers more than security; he offers her passion, something she hasn't experienced in years. Falling in love with him was easy, but once she learns what he becomes every month her fear of the unknown threatens their future.

Demon Slave: Marik Radkov believed the only thing left from his tortured past was the physical scars that adorned his body. But when he is stranded on a foreign planet, and held captive by an enticing blue eyed stranger, he is forced to face his past once more. To survive, he must subdue his lust, while keeping the mysterious and sexy woman from snaring his heart.

After escaping a violent assault of her home planet, Princess Nadua has been hiding on the cold planet Undewla for four hundred years, all but losing hope that her people will return for her. When the threat of a rebellion arises, Nadua must decide if she can trust the ruthless demon who strokes a desire she thought was long dead.

Wishlist Wednesday is a book blog hop hosted by Pen to Paper where we share and post about a book that has been on our wishlist for some time, or just added, that we can't wait to get off the wishlist.

Monday, 19 August 2013

Challenge One: What is one bookish thing you want to do before you die? OR what is one thing you want to do before you die that was inspired by a book you read?

Lauren's Answer:Just one? That's not very fair, but actually it makes it very easy. I could easily list something on going like to have my own library I'm happy with or manage to read all the books I own but there is a big one thing I want to do - attend BEA at least once! I live in the UK so it's not like I can just purchase tickets, hop in a car and drive there. Nope, its plane tickets, hotel room, taxi's, food and then shipping the books back home.

Lewis' Answer: I would like to read with my best friend in a big log cabin in Canada, the reason why I want that is because I'll have 3 things that I love in that scenario c:

Challenge Two:Post a comment or photo about your pairing (books with wine/food/soda/beer/etc) and tag it with the hashtag #Pairathon on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google+, Pinterest, OR Leave a comment on this post describing what you’re pairing with your books

Lauren's Pairathon:I've had a lot of Dark Chocolate biscuits from Aldi and now I finally have some proper McVitties ones and oh my g-d! I forgot how lovely these were, the chocolate is so tastey. I haven't actually picked up DDD yet but I will before the day is over, first I (blog) hop.

Sunday, 18 August 2013

BB&B (Bought, Borrowed and Bagged) is a weekly meme hosted by Braine and Debbie @ Talk Supe where we share with you the books that we have bought, borrowed or bagged (won or gifted) plus a recap of the previous week's reviews, upcoming reviews, on going events and book movie or television news and The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer. It's a chance to share news; a post to recap the past week on your blog, showcase books and things we have received and share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead. As you can see I've decided to link on another weekly haul/wrap up meme because I'd like to start visiting some new blogs on the atmosphere and I find meme's are the best way to do so!

- Bagged -Reveal by Brina Courtney, The Butterfly Storm by Kate Frost, Perfectly Hopeless by Holly Hood, Quest by Laura Masciarelli, A Week for Love to Bloom by Scarlet Wolfe, Seeds of Plenty by Jennifer Juo, Destiny Redeemed by Gabrielle Bisset, On an Edge of Glass by Autumn Doughton, Larby Lodge by G.P. Gallacher, Intentional by MK Harkins, Cornerstone by Kelly Walker and Broken Symmetry by Dan RixUm... so I kinda saw a few facebook pages linking up a *ahem* few freebies on Amazon, and I uh kind of slipped and grabbed them all because pretty covers

Dark Beach by Lauren Ash and Vampnesia by Kate ShayThanks to Red Tash and her author friends that helped with her 1,000 Facebook like giveaway, it's still on going, she's been giving away a bunch of books each day, just go and like the page and comment on the giveaways she puts up!The Jelly Bean Crisis by Jolene Stockman and TheQuintessential Gemini by Linn B. HaltonThanks to Kindred Dreamheart for her Fashion week, I won these two (and other but its a paperback so I'll mention that one next time round hopefully)!No One's Angel by Kelly Walker and My Ex From Hell by Tellulah DarlingUgggghh, I'm really freaking excited about these two, they're for book tours in October so I'm making sure I read other review books first but oh g-d I need to read them now.This fortnight on Northern Plunder:Wishlist Wednesday
Bout of Books: 8.0 Sign Up
Cover Reveal: Eramane
Reviews: The Grimm Diaires Prequels 7 & 8
Review: The Lovely Bones
Review: The Secret Scripture
Review: Word and Breath
Bout of Books: Lewis' Goals & Updates
Bout of Books: Lauren's Goals & Update

Upcoming on Northern Plunder:
Wishlist Wednesday
Book Blitz/Giveaway: Tears of Tess
Bout of Books: Any challenges we take part in
Bout of Books: Wrap Up
Review: Catalyst
August Wrap Up

Ah, lots has happened these past two weeks. I got properly accepted into University, confirmed my accommodation and been seeking out my flat mates and class mates. The one flat mate I found out that I have nothing in common with him, but the girl I found in my class and she seems pretty awesome, she said she's a slow reader but we have loads of things in common and we've already arranged to meet up for the enrolment week!

Also I finally fixed my computer (again) and spent the last few days completely nerding out on Battlefield 3, Skyrim, Fallout: New Vegas and Bastion. Ah so much fun! I'm surprised I've managed to read as much as I have.I hope you've all had a great fortnight too!